Great Mosque of Touba

Touba was founded by Cheikh Amadou Bamba, who established the Mouride Sufi brotherhood in the late nineteenth century, and the mosque built over his tomb is one of the largest in Africa: a vast prayer complex with seven minarets, the tallest of them Lamp Fall at around eighty-seven metres. The city around it is administered by the brotherhood rather than by the state in the usual way, and alcohol, tobacco, gambling and music are prohibited within it. The Grand Magal pilgrimage brings millions.

History

Ahmadou Bamba planned the mosque in his last years, around 1924-27, and chose it as the place of his tomb; the French colonial authorities agreed in 1926, building went slowly under his son and successor, and the mosque was completed in 1963. It has seven minarets, three large domes and eleven smaller ones (Wikipedia, Great Mosque of Touba).

What to look for

• The mosque - a vast complex with seven minarets over the founder's tomb.
• Lamp Fall - the main minaret, around eighty-seven metres and visible far across the plain.
• The tomb - Cheikh Amadou Bamba's mausoleum inside the complex, the pilgrimage focus.
• The library - the collection of Bamba's writings held at the mosque.

When to go

November to May is the dry season. The Grand Magal, which follows the Islamic calendar and moves each year, brings enormous numbers and is the city at its most extraordinary and least practical to visit casually.

Things to know

Touba operates under the brotherhood's rules: no alcohol or tobacco anywhere in the city, modest dress covering arms and legs, heads covered for women, shoes off. Non-Muslims are generally admitted to the grounds with permission but access to the prayer hall and tomb varies. Photography needs asking every time.

Nearby

Diourbel is southwest, and Thies is west on the Dakar road.

Key facts